Inspection apparatus



July1,1941. Y E W S 2,247,737

INSPECTION APPARATUS Filed Jail. 11. 1940 M WM Patented July 1, 1941 A INSPECTION APPARATUS Gilbert E. Weeks, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 11, 1940, Serial No. 313,394

2 Claims. (Cl. 88-14) This invention relates to inspection apparatus and more particularly to apparatus for facilitating visual inspection of electrical contacts during their adjustment.

In adjusting various types of apparatus, for example, key actuated contact springs, it is, at times, quite difficult to see the apparatus being adjusted due to the position in which the apparatus is mounted and the closeness of other apparatus which renders it impossible to so direct a beam of light that it will properly illuminate the apparatus being adjusted.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple apparatus for facilitating the visual inspection of articles during their manufacture.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention', apparatus is provided for facilitating the inspection of key contact springs, which apparatus comprises a lamp bulb mounted in asuitable casing which has an aperture in it for receiving the flattened end of a rod of methyl methacrylate, a substance known commercially as Lucite" or Plexiglas and havingthe capacity to transmit light throughout its length. The methyl methacrylate rod is ground or otherwise reduced in the portion thereof extending away from the casing so that it may enter into a relatively narrow space between the base and contact springs of a key. The extending portion of the rod is sand blasted on its upper surface, thereby to break up the light rays transmitted through the rod and provide a lighted, as well as a light-colored, background for the contacts on the'contact springs to render them more clearly visible.

A better understanding of the apparatus will be had by reference to thefollowing detail description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of a key having a series of contacts thereon, which are to be adjusted, the key being positioned in an inverted position on a support on which there is mounted apparatus for illuminating the contacts;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail View of the light transmitting rod in side elevation.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate the same parts throughout the several views, a base 5 is provided upon which a key to be adjusted may be positioned durin the adjustment of the spring tension thereof. The base 5 comprises a flat bed portion 6 on which the main body portion of a key mounting plate 'Lmay be positioned during the adjustment of the contact springs of the key. The base 5 is provided with portions 8, 9 and Ill, against which the lower and right edges of the mounting plate I may be abutted during adjustment of the key. These abutments extend upwardly from the support 5, which is cut out, as shown at l, to receive the operatingbutton l2 of the key. Fixed to the mounting plate I is a substantially S-shaped bracket |3, against which a spring ll of the key will abut to normally urge the operating button |2 of the key to the left (Fig. 2) due to the engagement'thereof with the underside of the head of the key. The spring I! surrounds a shank l5 of the key, which is made of non-conducting material and is tapered as shown at I6, for cooperation with the main springs H and I8 of the key. The springs l1 and I8 are bent over, as shown at I9 and 20, so that they will engage with the pointed end of the shank I5 in such manner as to be actuated thereby when the button I2 is operated. Acollar 2|, fixed to the shank of the key, prevents the spring I! from moving the head and shank of the key to the left beyond a predetermined position (Fig. 2). Included in the key, which has been chosen as a type of key which may be readily inspected and adjusted by utilizing the apparatus of the present invention, are a series of contact springs 25 to 32, inclusive, which cooperate with the springs I1 and I8. The contacts on the various springs |8 and 25 to 32, inclusive, are adapted to either make or break with their associated springs when the operating button I2 is operated. In the key selected as an illustration, a pair of studs 33 and 34, made of insulating material, are fixed to the springs l1 and I8, respectively. The stud 33 passes through an aperture in the spring 28 and is fixed to the springs 26 and 21. In a similar manner, the stud 34 is fixed to the springs I8, 30 and 32 and passes freely through apertures 36 and 31 in the springs 29 and 3|. It is believed to be apparent that, upon operation of the operating button l2, contact will be made between the springs H and 28, 26 and 25, I8 and 29 and the contact will be broken between springs 21 and 28, 29 and 30, and 3| and 32.

Due to the fact that the mounting plate I of the key is positioned directly beneath these contacts, it becomes exceedingly difllcult to adjust the tension of the contacts so that they will make in the proper sequence and, accordingly, the abutments 9. and I0 support a lamp casing 40, which may be made of opaque material, and supports a lamp 4|. A cap 12 is attached to one 'end of the casing 40 and terminals 43 and 44,

extend outwardly from the other end of the easing 40 for attachment to a current source. The casing 40 is provided with a circular aperture 45 in which the end'of a rod 46 of methyl methacrylate may be secured by cementing the end of the rod 46 to the casing as shown at 41. The rod 46 is provided with a flattened portion 48 and may be formed by milling a circular rod to provide the relatively thin flattened portion 48. It will be understood that such a rod could also be molded or otherwise formed to the shape shown.

' Since it is a characteristic of the material, methyl methacrylate, used in the rod 46 that it will transmit light lengthwise through it, the flattened portion 48 is tapered, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3, sothat the light rays will pass through the rod in the direction indicated by the lines 50 and will pass out of the rod at the points where the lines 50 intersect the edges of the portion 48. Since the portion 48 is sand blasted or otherwise roughened, the light will be difiused and will illuminate the contacts. After the rod has been milled to the configuration shown and just described, the upper surface and/or lower surface of the rod may be sand blasted or roughened in some other manner to break up the light rays which are transmitted through the rod and to illuminate the contacts on the springs H, I 8 and 25 to 32, inclusive, during their adjustment. If the rod 46 in this form does not throw suflicient light on the contacts, it may be advisable to paint the lower surface of the portion 48 white to reflect more'light on the contacts.

Although a specific type 'of key has been described in some detail herein, it will be under" stood that the apparatus covered by the present invention is not applicable solely to keys of.this

type, but by modification may be adapted for other types of inspection and adjusting appara-. tus without departing from the scope of the invention, which is to be limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an inspection apparatus, a support, means on said support to position part of an article to be inspected in a plane parallel to said support and in spaced relation thereto, a light source mounted on said support and laterally displaced from the position of an article on the support, and a vane of methyl methacrylate of tapering configuration extending at right angles to the light source and between the support and the part of the article to be insepected to conduct light thereto, said vane having the surface thereof which is away from the support roughened to difiuse light throughout the length of the vane.

2. In an inspection apparatus, a support, means on said support to position an article to.be inspected in a plane parallel to the support with a portion of the article spaced from the support, a light source mounted on said support in laterally spaced relation to the article and in a plane between the support and said portion of the article, and a vane of methyl methacrylate of tapering configuration extending at right angles to the GILBERT E. WEEKS. 

